It is very small (2") and quite flat and looks to me quite unlike modern Chinese weights I have seen.

It has a clear base, slightly concave, with some wear. Scratched into the base very faintly is 'CHINA' and above it and to one side 'Y'.

The canes are regular and tidy, quite well made and nicely placed. There is a tiny buble at the junction of each cane and the clear glass in which they are set is very slightly bubbly, but the dome, which has a yellowish tinge, is quite clear. There is a tiny piece of frit - or 'stone' - in the base above where the pontil mark has been ground out.

Anonymous

I have got a couple of these too....and like you I'm not sure of the date....although they are a similar size and shape to a couple of Chinese 1930's "white ground" weights that I have. What I was impressed with is both how tidy and level the canes are.... something that oddly went down-hill in more recent years. I doubt if it would be possible to track an actual maker in China but the reason for their quality and not overly common is that they may have come from one maker. A bit like your Murano weight...many makers but not all as equal as each other.... Unfortunately not a lot of help...but I like them a lot.

Yes, 1930s is the correct period for this style of Chinese weight. The yellowish glass is quite typical as are the rather better setting of the canes. Another feature is that the domes tend to be quite low.

Also yes, the quality of the setting earlier Chinese weights was better than modern ones - although improvements are now being seen.

There are some good varitaions in the designs of 1930s Chinese weights, including garlanded Flowers etc., in the antique French style. Not surprising really, because an Amercian importer is said to have started the Chinese line of copies of antique French weights :!: The best examples are often quite expensive now as they have become "collector items" in their own right, particularly in the US.

As for a particluar maker of the 1930s weights, I have not seen this stated anywhere, but perhaps one day somebody will track down the full story of the American importer and the source of the pieces.

Leni - I have no idea what the "Y" means on your weight. But just imagine if an example was found where the "China" part was wom off completely, leaving just the "Y" ... I can see the ebay listing now, "Rare Salvador Ysart paperweight with previously unrecorded canes". :lol:

As for a particluar maker of the 1930s weights, I have not seen this stated anywhere, but perhaps one day somebody will track down the full story of the American importer and the source of the pieces.

That would be a wonderful research project! :shock:

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Leni - I have no idea what the "Y" means on your weight. But just imagine if an example was found where the "China" part was wom off completely, leaving just the "Y" ... I can see the ebay listing now, "Rare Salvador Ysart paperweight with previously unrecorded canes". :lol: